purr
to utter a low, continuous, murmuring sound expressive of contentment or pleasure, as a cat does.
(of things) to make a sound suggestive of the purring of a cat: The new motor of the car purred.
to express by or as if by purring.
the low, vibrating sound made by a cat by the contracting of the laryngeal muscles and the diaphragm as it breathes.
a sound resembling this.
the act of purring.
Origin of purr
1- Also Archaic, pur .
Other words from purr
- purr·ing·ly, adverb
Words that may be confused with purr
- per, purr
Words Nearby purr
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use purr in a sentence
Yet it only takes one turn—whether it’s the jolt of hardpack or the velvety purr of plundering pow—to remember what happiness is.
On this week’s episode of Weirdest Thing, we get into the use of real-world animal sounds for creating everything from the purr of an engine to the sci-fi whoosh of a TIE fighter.
Imagine traveling to the moon only to realize you’re allergic to it. One astronaut did. | PopSci Staff | November 25, 2020 | Popular-ScienceIf there was an Oscar for performances by felines, Inside Llewyn Davis should rightfully have claimed that too, with a purr.
“We always have fun,” she confided in her lilting Slovenian purr.
Move cautiously and reassuringly and the bear will purr contentedly.
She would put her paws on his shoulders, and rub his face, and purr in a most contented manner.
The Nursery, January 1873, Vol. XIII. | VariousThen the room became silent, and I heard her heavy breathing, like the deep purr of a cat.
Tiger Cat | David H. Keller"Back—some time," replied Chester's voice, rising above the low purr of the engine with a note of satisfaction in it.
Red Pepper Burns | Grace S. RichmondCatching the throbbing purr of the Imp as the car swung in at the driveway Chester jumped up.
Red Pepper Burns | Grace S. RichmondThe scaup came down the sky in dark masses, giving a rippling purr as they flew.
Wild Folk | Samuel Scoville
British Dictionary definitions for purr
/ (pɜː) /
(intr) (esp of cats) to make a low vibrant sound, usually considered as expressing pleasure, etc
(tr) to express (pleasure, etc) by this sound
a purring sound
Origin of purr
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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